SANGĪTI AS A TEXTUAL FILTER: HOW CONCILIAR REVISIONS SHAPED THE VINAYA CORPUS

Phunthasane Phra Paron

The article examines the role of conciliar saṅgīti (collective recitations-revisions) in shaping and preserving the Vinaya Piṭaka within the Theravāda tradition. It demonstrates that the early Buddhist councils, beginning with the First Council, functioned as a “textual filter,” preventing distortions of disciplinary rules and securing their authority. The study analyzes the historical prerequisites for conciliar recitation, the structures of the Sutta-vibhaṅga and Khandhakas, as well as the impact of committing the canon to writing in Sri Lanka. It highlights the main stages of verifying the Vinaya text at councils in Burma, Siam, and other Southeast Asian countries, describing their method of correcting discrepancies in manuscripts and its convergence with modern digital projects. The conclusion is that saṅgīti, as a mechanism of collective filtering and harmonization, has ensured the uninterrupted authenticity of the Vinaya Piṭaka by preserving its core meaning over centuries. At the same time, this tradition’s high significance for contemporary Buddhist practice and academic philology is underscored.

Keywords:Buddhism, Theravāda, Vinaya Piṭaka, saṅgīti, Pāli Canon, Tipiṭaka, Buddhist councils, Sutta‑vibhaṅga, Khandhaka, textual criticism, source studies, Buddhist studies